Machine for bending and punching arch-bars



2 SheetsSheet 1.

(No Model.)

G. G. CROSS. MACHINE FOR BENDING AND-PUNGHING ARCH BARS. No, 252,741.Patented-Jan. 24,1882.

(No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. G. GROSS.

MACHINE FOR BENVDING AND PUNOHING ARGHBARS.

Patented Jan. 24,18 82.

N. PETERS. PllnkrLillmgl-Apller. WJshilmluvl. n. c

' UNITE STATES PATENT @rrrcn,

CHRISTOPHER e. cnoss, or CHICAGO, ASSIGNOR TO WILLlAh'lS, WHITE &

00., on MOLINE, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE F( )R BENDING AND PUNCHING ARCH-BARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 252,741, dated January24, 1882.

Application filed August 15, 1881. (No model.)

T (d l whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, CHRISTOPHER G. (Jaoss, residing in Chicago, in thecounty of Cook and State of Illinois, and a citizen of the UnitedStates, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dies or Formers forMaking Arch- Bars, of which the following is a full description,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- IO Figure 1is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is atop or plan view; Fig. 3, a detail,being an under side view of the female die or former, one end beingbroken 011'; Figs. 4 and 5, details showing the punch.

I5 This invention relates to thcmaking or forming of arch-bars,and tothat class of such bars which are used in the construction ofcar-trucks;but it can also be applied to the manufacture .of similar bars for usein other places and for other purposes in which it is desirable ornecessary to use arch-bars having straight center, diagonal or obliquesides, and straight ends.

The object of the invention is to make or form such bars readily,easily, and quickly 2 5 without the use of hand-labor, except to theextent required in placing the bars in position to be formed into shapeand to remove them when formed, and have the operation of making orforming the arches complete, so that when the bars are removed from thedevices by which they are made and formed into shape they will be incondition for immediate use, so far as their shape and construction areconcerned, and will all have a uniform and corre- 5 sponding shape; andits nature consists in providing dies or formersone male and onefemalehavingsupporting-plates, as hereinafter set forth, and also havingcoacting faces of the desired configuration to present a straight cen- 0ter face, diagonal or oblique side faces, and straight end faces,between which the bars will be given a corresponding shape by the actionof the dies or formers when brought together under pressure; and inproviding the female 5 die with dovetail grooves located in the straightcenter and end faces to receive and retain punches,and providing themaledie at its center and ends with holes or openings which coincidewith the punches, for forming holes at the required points in thearch-bars without removing the bars from the dies or formers, both dieshaving supporting and strengthening plates, as hereinafter more fullydescribed.

In the drawings, A represents the male die or former; A, the base orsupporting plate for the male die or former; A, the backing orstrengtheningplate for the male die or former; B, the female die orformer; B, the base or supporting plate for the female die or former; B,the backing or strengthening plate for the female die or former; O, thescrews for adjusting the male die or former and holding it in position,when adjusted, against pressure of the female die or former; G, theheads having screw-threaded openings for the passage of the screws 0; D,the bed or frame on which the dies or formers are located and supported;E, the movable head or pressure plate by which the female dieor formeris moved or operated F, the pitmen for operating the head E; Gr, thedisks or wheels for operating the pitmen; a a a, the acting faces of themale die or former; b b b, the acting faces of the female die or former;0, the punch block orhead c, the dovetail grooves or openings for therecep- 7 5 tion of the punch blocks or heads; 0, the punches; d, theflange or guide by which the head E is held in position on the bed orframe D; e, the connection of the head E with the pitmen F; f, thewrist-pin for attachment of the pitmen to the wheels or disks G.

The male die or former A and female die or former B are to be made fromsteel or other suitable material which can be subjected to a severepressure and not bend or'break, and they may be cast or otherwise formedinto shape, so that the male die or former will present a working-facehaving a straight center port-ion, a, diagonal or oblique portion a, and

straight end portion a, while the female die 0 or former will havecorresponding coactingfaces, I) I) b, b coinciding with andcorresponding to (1,1) coinciding with and corresponding to a, and bcoInciding with and corresponding to a. These dies or formers each 5have a base or supporting plate and a backing or strengthening plate, AA being such plates for the die or formerA, B B being such plates forthe die or former B. The plate A forms a support on which the bar to beoperated on I00 can be laid, and the plate B forms a guard or guide tokeep such bar in position while being pressed or formed into shape, andthese plates, with their respective dies or formers, can be cast orotherwise formed from a single piece, and, if desired, strengtheningrods or flanges, extending from the centerof the die or former A to theback plate A, and from the ends of the die or former B to the back plateB, can be provided,to furnish additional strength and resist thepressure of the dies or formers. The straight center faces, a b, are ofthe required length for the center of the arch, and the diagonal oroblique faces a I) are of the required length and stand at the desiredangle for the length and angle for the diagonal or oblique portions ofthe arch, and the end faces, a b, are of the desired length for thelength of ends of the arch, so that the desired form of arch will beproduced by the action of these faces when brought together with the barbetween them.

The die or former A is adjusted on the frame .or bed, on which it ismounted or supported,

as sh0\vn,by set-screws G, the shanks of which pass throughscrew-threaded o 'ienings in heads 0, one on each side of the frame orbed, as shown in Fig. 2, the end of the screws coming in contact withthe back plate, A, so that by turning the screws the die or former A canbe adjusted to properly coact with the die or former B; but other meansmay be provided for obtaining this adjustment of the die or former A.

The die or former B has its back plate abutting against the face of thehead or push plate E, and is to be connected with such plate in anysuitable manner, so that it will be advanced and receded by themovements of the head or plate, and the head or plate E is given areciprocating movement through the medium of pitmen or connecting-barsF, one on each side, which bars are operated by crank wheels or disks G,the pitmen being attached to the disks or wheels by wrist-pins f and tothe htad E by pins or pivots c. The wheels or disks G are to be revolvedby means of suitable shafts, gears, and pulleys; but, as such devicesmay be of any of the usual and ordinary forms of construction andarrangement for imparting a pressure movement through the wheels ordisks, they need not be specifically described.

The bed or frame D may be of any suitable form of construction that willfurnish a support for the dies or formers, the head, and the devices foroperating the head. As shown, it is provided on its exterior face andupper edge with a spline or flange, d, by which the head E is held inplace, the spline entering suitable recesses or grooves in the head.

Other forms of devices for operating the head or pressure plateE may beused, and other forms of presses than that shown may be provided, solong as the devices and press will act to give the required amount ofpressure to form the bar into shape between the dies or formers.

In the central straight portion and in the ends of the female die areformed dovetail grooves c, which grooves extend through the plate B, andin these grooves are slipped a cor responding dovetail-shaped block orhead, a, on which is a punch, c, of the required size to punch an oening of the size required at the center and ends of the arch; and atthe center and ends of the male die or former, in line with the punchwhen in position on the female die or former, are holes or openingscorresponding in size to the size of the punches, into which the puncheswill enter in punching the holes through the arch. As many punches areto be provided as the number of holes required in the arch, and thelength of the head or block which carries the punches is to be somewhatgreater than thelength ot' the dovetail opening into which the headenters, so that the end of the head or block will project above the faceof the plate B, so as to be grasped or caught for the withdrawal of thepunches.

In operation the die or former A is adjusted for the thickness of bar tobe operated on, and the bar, after being heated, is placed in front ofthe die or former, the bar being of the required length to form, whenfinished, an arch of the required dimensions. The pressis then put inoperation, advancing the head E, and with it the die or former B, towardthe die or former A, and forcing the bar for the arch over the die orformer A, and forming it into the shape which the die or former has,which shape is the one required. The die or former B is then receded bythe movement of the'head or plate E, leaving the arch formed into shapeon the die or former A. The punches are then slipped into the dovetailgroove 0 and the die or former B again ad vanced,with the punchestherein,which punches come in contact with the arch on the die or formerA, and punch holes therein at the required points in the ends andcenter. Then the head is again receded, withdrawing the die or former B,leaving the arch on the die or former A formed, shaped, and punched,from which die it can be removed, by hand or otherwise, complete andready for use, so far as the shaping and punching are concerned. Anotherhot bar is then placed on the die or former A and the operationjustdescribed again repeated to form such bar into its arched shape, andthese movements are continued until the required number of bars havebeen formed into shape and punched. By thisarrangementitwill be seenthat the arches leave the dies or formers in acomplete condition, sofaras shapeand holes are concerned, and that the operation of forming themis very simple and does away with a large amount of manual labor whichhas heretofore been required in forming or making archbars, and that thebars will be all formed in uniform and corresponding shapes,with theholes of each bar in the same relative position, so as to coincide inuse.

The length of the center and end faces and the length of the side facesand angle at which such diagonal or oblique side faces stand can bechanged to suit the form of bar which it is desired that the dies orformers shall produce.

The plate B is to be provided with a suitable slot for the passage ofthe punch a and allow the punches to drop into the groove 0.

that I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v l. Thedies or formers for making arch or truck bars, consisting of a male andfemale die or former, each having a straight center,

down the bar While the latter is being bent,

substantially as described.

2. The dies or formers for making arch or truck bars, consisting of themale die A-and the female die B, each having a straight center, diagonalor oblique sides, and straight ends, the male die being provided withbase or supporting plate A and strengthening-plate A, and the female diebeing provided with supporting'plate B and strcngthening plate B,substantially as described.

3. The dies or formers for making arch or truck bars, consisting of amale and female die, each having a straight center, diagonal or obliquesides, straight ends, and a supportingplate, and a back or strengtheningplate, as described, the female die having dovetailed grooves to receiveand hold punches, and the male die having openings for the punches toenter, between which dies the bar is bent and punched, substantially asdescribed.

CHRISTOPHER G. GROSS. Witnesses:

ALBERT H. ADAMS, O. W. BOND.

